Moscow and Washington discuss the potential resumption of Russian gas supplies to Europe, among other issues related to the peaceful settlement of Russia's war in Ukraine, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov confirmed to the Russian state-run Interfax news agency.
"This is a historic decision, as weapons for Ukraine will be purchased at the expense of the proceeds from frozen Russian assets through the European Peace Fund," Denys Shmyhal said.
Peter Szijjarto's announcement came after Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) allegedly dismantled a Hungarian military intelligence network operating in Zakarpattia Oblast.
The approval marks a key step in international efforts to hold Moscow accountable for what is considered the gravest violation of international law committed against Ukraine.
Although Moscow declared on April 28 that it would halt all military actions from May 8 to midnight on May 11 to mark Victory Day, strikes on civilian areas have continued.
Under Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin's rule, millions of Ukrainians died during the Holodomor, a man-made famine in 1932–1933. The dictator also oversaw mass deportations, purges of Ukrainian intellectuals and leaders, and the suppression of the Ukrainian language and culture.
According to the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), this marks the first time Ukrainian authorities have exposed a Hungarian military intelligence network conducting activities harmful to Ukraine.
Delegations from 35 countries and the Council of Europe gathered in Lviv as EU officials prepare to approve both new defense aid and steps toward establishing a tribunal for Russian leadership.
The ruling marks a significant victory for RFE/RL amid growing concerns about U.S. funding cuts to independent media countering Russian disinformation.
U.S. Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected the new pope and leader of the Roman Catholic Church on Thursday, taking the name Pope Leo XIV, a senior cardinal announced on May 8 to crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square, according to Vatican News.
George Simion, leader of Romania's far-right AUR party, who won the first round of the presidential election with nearly 40% of the vote, reiterated that if elected, he would oppose any further assistance to Ukraine and shift Romania’s focus inward.
Photo for illustrative purposes: Hospitallers evacuation bus drives wounded Ukrainian soldiers from the front line in Donetsk Oblast to a hospital in Dnipro city on April 25, 2024. (Serhii Korovayny/The Kyiv Independent)
Ukraine has secured an agreement with its allies to acquire 200 evacuation vehicles, Deputy Defense Minister Natalia Kalmykova said on July 27.
The Strategic Industries Ministry is also actively working to ensure Ukraine can produce such equipment domestically, Kalmykova said during the first annual International Congress on Military Medicine and Mental Health.
The official noted that casualty evacuation and medical evacuation are separate stages, each requiring different vehicles and equipment. Volunteer organizations cover some of these needs in cooperation with the Ministry of Defense.
"But at the same time (...) we are already receiving M113 armored vehicles. We have an agreement for 200 units. Some have already arrived and are being distributed to military units where the need for evacuation is greatest," Kalmykova said.
The Strategic Industries Ministry is working to ensure that Ukraine can produce these vehicles domestically, Kalmykova added. These vehicles have specific requirements for cross-country ability, protection, and mobility.
"I hope that with the support of international partners, we can make significant progress on this issue. Equipment is lost and destroyed in war, which is normal. Unfortunately, we can't claim that the current number of evacuation vehicles will be sufficient indefinitely," Kalmykova was quoted as saying.
The United States, Spain, and Lithuania are supplying M113 vehicles for demining and other operational needs.
Olena Goncharova is the Head of North America desk at The Kyiv Independent, where she has previously worked as a development manager and Canadian correspondent. She first joined the Kyiv Post, Ukraine's oldest English-language newspaper, as a staff writer in January 2012 and became the newspaper’s Canadian correspondent in June 2018. She is based in Edmonton, Alberta. Olena has a master’s degree in publishing and editing from the Institute of Journalism in Taras Shevchenko National University in Kyiv. Olena was a 2016 Alfred Friendly Press Partners fellow who worked for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for six months. The program is administered by the University of Missouri School of Journalism in Columbia.
Dominic Culverwell
